Stars and Laurels
by Besabriyaan
Summary: "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." In my previous life I fancied myself as rational & sophisticated, held the notion that the fantasy genre is just meant for amusement. Ironically in the next I am living in a 'real fiction'. And having an Azkaban escapee as one's uncle doesn't make it any better.. (SI-OC) as Regulus Black's posthumous daughter...
1. Note

**A/N: This is just for my (and hopefully your) amusement. I own nothing and seek to gain no profit from publishing this work.**

This is my ongoing work of SI-OC genre. The character's name is Elaine Carina Black-Dunbar, posthumous daughter of Regulus Black and Audrey Dunbar, hence the use of Matronymic name. Let's see how this story leads on...

In Hogwarts her name would be registered as Elaine Dunbar (an important element of the plot) where as on the black family tapestry Carina Black. Story will start from Harry Potter series third book - Prisoner of Azkaban. The storywould focus on Black family dynamics as well as the background of the first wizarding war. Also as happens in all the self-insert genre, the character will face dillemas and challenges.

**"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." In my previous life I fancied myself as rational & sophisticated, held the notion that the fantasy genre is just meant for amusement. Ironically in the next I am living in a 'real fiction'. And having an Azkaban escapee as one's uncle doesn't make it any better.. (SI-OC) as Regulus Black's posthumous daughter...**


	2. Encounter

**A/N: This is just for my (and hopefully your) amusement. I own nothing and seek to gain no profit from publishing this work. English is my second language. Keeping that in mind (in case of grammatical errors), kindly go easy on me...**

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"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." In my previous life I fancied myself as rational & sophisticated, held the notion that the fantasy genre is just meant for amusement. Ironically in the next I am living in a 'real fiction'. And having an Azkaban escapee as one's uncle doesn't make it any better.. (SI-OC) as Regulus Black's posthumous daughter...

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Chapter Summary

Though her memories of her past life were hazy, Elaine was sure that Sirius Black meant no harm in the original plot. Well at least for the leading cast. But that's the problem. Elaine is not sure what is her role in this damn freaking plot!

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**Chapter -1 Encounter**

_"Important encounters are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other" ― Paulo Coelho_

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6 August 1993

12, Grimmauld Place

_A huge black dog was wading through the icy waters of the North Sea. Many emotions were being reflected in those earnest grey eyes. Melancholy and hopelessness seemed to be prevalent in the whole atmosphere yet those unflinching grey orbs held a steely resolve. ... a paperback with orange book cover ... a familiar telephone booth...echoes of ominous screams and mutterings ...then came a blinding flash of bright light ...with a splash of water!_

"...Miss Ellie! Wake up! Miss Ellie asked Kreacher to remind... Miss Ellie should wake up or she will be late..."

Elaine jolted up, now thoroughly awake and soaked up thanks to the kind efforts of the ancient house elf. "Kreacher should apologise but Miss Ellie was not waking up although it is almost seven.." Kreacher croaked wringing his hands and shaking the now empty jug of water.

Elaine replied sleepily,"Never mind Kreacher, thanks for waking me up."

"Miss Ellie is most welcome." Kreacher croaked.

Recalling that she felt asleep while reading that boring novel full of platitudes and inane talks on '_the Will of Destiny'_. She decided that she was definitely not a fan of fatalism.

Turning to Kreacher she asked, "Kreacher, where's the book I was reading before I fell asleep?"

"Kreacher stored away that muggle book in the shelves downstairs." Kreacher replied, wrinkling his nose at the word 'muggle'. Kreacher for all his faults was very smart and observant. He must have noticed the absence of movement in the pictures of the book. " Should Kreacher bring it up for Miss Ellie."

"No need Kreacher. Thanks." Kreacher bowed and scurried away.

_Merlin... 7:00 PM! One should definitely cut one's nap time if it extends till seven 'o clock PM._

Elaine rushed out of her bed, in the process threw her blanket away while knocking down the photo frame kept on the bedside table. A young couple could clearly be seen inside the frame, merrily enjoying and sharing together a single cup of ice cream, deliberately trying to smear the said food item on each other's face all the while nudging each other playfully. The young man and the woman in the picture bearing an uncanny resemblance with the girl in question.

Elaine delicately turned the frame to it's former position. She kept staring and her gaze softened and held a certain longing and thirst seeing her parents so young, so happy, so... free. Her eyes moisten and she turned away. Wondering why fate had been so cruel to her snatch away her parents even in this life. Is this called fault in one's stars? What has she done to deserve the fate of being a young orphan once again? Is it some result of the law of _karma. Is Fate trying to intimidate her, trying to extract some kind of revenge or twisted bargain? A punishment?_

Feeling **vulnerable** and exposed, she hurried to get ready. It is not wise to dwell on nonsensical questions and fantasies. And Elaine prided on being intelligent and rational. Yesterday Sue Lee, her best friend had owled her and made plans for meeting at Leaky Cauldron. It would be foolish to vex her friend on her account for reaching late.

Meanwhile in the town of Little Whinging, somewhere in the English county of Surrey a certain bespectacled boy with unusual green eyes and a scar on his forehead was gazing longingly at a certain photo frame containing a young couple who were twirling and dancing charmingly. He then abruptly started packing his things in a trunk, still very furious and on the spur of the moment decide to leave this wretched place.

_Ah! the perils of being an orphan... _

* * *

**Do Not Enter**

**Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black**

Elaine traced her hand over the plaque. Whenever she visited the Black family's London townhouse, she stayed at her father's room. Even while staying at her mother's place, Dunbar Manor, she preferred to be housed in the same room her mother occupied. Maybe this was in some weird twisted manner a way to connect with her dead parents.

_What good comes from psychoanalysing everything Elaine... Leave this task to Sue..._

Shaking her head to clear away such depressing thoughts, she descended the long winding stairs, passing through various portraits of long dead ancestors, having nothing better to than gossiping and muttering about the latest stunt pulled by the disgraced heir _(any guesses who) _to come face to face with a canvas containing the lone figure of her long dead ancestor Phineas Nigellus Black.

"Greeting great-great-great-grandfather..." drawled Elaine vaguely aware how much she sounded like her cousin Draco regardless of how she would go to great lengths to deny any relation with that spoiled brat, "fancy seeing you here at this hour. "

Of course she knew that the former headmaster of the Hogwarts must have brought some news concerning one and only Sirius Black and she was just feigning ignorance as she knew how to tackle her ancestor. It would not do to stroke his ego. _After all, the Blacks crave for power and importance, every single one of them have a certain thirst to prove one's worth. Every Black, be it disgraced or disowned, their vestiges left in the form of a portrait or ghost, no one is above this rule. Blacks are too much arrogant and conceited for their own good. And this leads to their downfall or descent into madness,_ she thought sardonically. Somewhere deep down within her mind, she was herself suspicious of her own dreams and visions, whether they are a product of memories or madness, her fears always taunting her...

Seeing that his descendant would not utter anything else, the first and only Slytherin headmaster of Hogwarts began his tirade,"That simpering bumbling fool of a minister. I am telling you my descendant, the whole Magical Britain is going to dogs. And don't even ask about Hogwarts. Well that Dumbledore, though a half-blood muggle-loving fool that he is, at least knows what a foolish decision it is to give free reign to dementors in a school full of children. Is this how you treat..."

And thus the portrait kept on rambling and making snide comments. Whenever Phineas Black is on his parade of tirade, it always greatly amuses Elaine plus she gets to learn various new creative ways to insult one's enemies in the most _slytherinesque_ fashion.

Y_ou just can't beat him, he's the master of this subject! _

She stopped her musings as her ancestor blithely started commenting on the person whose face was nowadays plastered everywhere nowadays."Esteemed forefather," she interrupted stopping him in his rants and impatiently carried on as she got his attention, "I value your counsel and hold you in high regard, worthy of a _former_ patriarch (stressing on the term _former_). For the love of_ Magic! _I request you to stay away from Grandmother unless and until you stop spouting about her _wayward son! _It would _certainly_ not do to further aggravate her already _delicate_ condition." She commanded him imperiously, looking every inch of a Black Heiress, worthy of that title. The Slytherin Headmaster huffed but nodded in acceptance.

She turned away, grabbed the muggle paperback titled 'The Alchemist' from the nearby shelf and asked the ever faithful and loyal elf Kreacher to not wait upon her for dinner.

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_**" It's ideal for headquarters, of course," Sirius said. "My father put every security measure known to Wizard-kind on it when he lived here. It's Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call—as if they'd have wanted to…"**_

_**-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix**_

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Tucked away on an unassuming street in Islington lies Claremont Square. Not many is privy to the fact that in this particular borough lies one of the many ancestral seats of the Black family - House no. 12 Grimmauld Place, hidden away from magical and muggle population alike.

Elaine was standing on the said street of the influential residential area in unassuming manner, staring at the handsome muggle townhouse, lost in deep thoughts. Orion Black, her paternal grandfather had put every security measure known to wizardkind on this house when he lived here. But now that Sirius Black is out of prison, would the house able to withstand the attack if he tried to break inside the house of Black. After all he is a_ Black_, the member of the main branch of the family, of flesh and blood and thus have an easy access.

Though her memories of her past life were hazy, Elaine was sure that Sirius Black meant no harm in the original plot. Well at least for the leading cast. But that's the problem. Elaine is not sure what is her role in this damn freaking plot! Everything up till now has gone according to the plot, _ignoring her presence that is. _Sirius Black is definitely anti-Black family and up to her knowledge _very very anti-Walburga Black. _It was not mentioned in the book whether he stopped by the townhouse on the way to Hogwarts. Even after whacking her brain hard, (that is very very hard) she couldn't remember anything of such sort.

Now before you start assuming, Elaine knows very well that Walburga Black was not a particularly well liked in canon (_definitely an understatement_). She fully agreed that her grandmother is old fashioned and orthodox. Yes, she is a _**bigot**_ but it would be too harsh to categorise her in the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange née Black. Walburga Black is definitely a force to reckon with, but her bark is worse than her bite. And her grandmother is one of the few left from her father's side of the family who are worth all the trouble, so she is honour bound to save her from any danger. So Sirius Black, though no longer considers himself a true Black, still has infamous Black temper when provoked (_and living in Azkaban didn't make it any better!_), and Walburga certainly acts as a fuel to her elder son's rage.

Elaine started feeling sick and unsettled thinking of such sorry state of affairs. There was a crash of thundering (_it's London Baby!_). She vaguely thought of that popular American sitcom that would be broadcasted next year and mentally added it in her _to-do list. _She used to watch it on Netflix in her previous life.

Soon it started to drizzle, so Elaine abandoned her plans to walk all way to Diagon Alley and decided to hail the infamous ride of the Knight Bus. At least she would have a plausible excuse to blame her present queasiness!

She walked towards the telephone booth which was at a safe distance away from the Black townhouse, waved her wand hand over her head. Soon a deafening BANG and a bright blinding light followed. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt. They belonged to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled The Knight Bus. _Well what you can say, the wizarding world has a flair for dramatics!_

Then a conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve —"

He paused in his monologue and dropped all his pretense of professionalism, pointing his finger in the direction of Elaine. "You here again? Mass murderer is out of prison. Children..." "Eleven sickles. To Diagon Alley." She interjected sharply, all while eyeing on the unusual sight in front of her. A boy with messy black hair was flushed against the windshield of the bus, most likely thrown out the seat/bed due to bumpy ride. He groaned while shifting and caught sight of her turning wide eyed. _So much for secrecy...*_

Elaine found herself dead on feet, seeing familiar set of green eyes and the famed lightning bolt scar. The **Sowilo. **She observed his appearance. One of the knees in his jeans was torn. For two years she avoided him like plague, all while minimizing butterfly effect. Gryffindor and Ravenclaws only shared Transfiguration and History of Magic, both of the subjects lacking any sort of interactions. Professor McGonagall was very strict while with Binns, well it was designated nap time with all his droning.

Frankly she never really visualised any sort of encounter the boy wonder himself!

She opened her mouth to make some witty remark when the bus suddenly lurched forward, making her stagger. She tried to gain her footing but at the same time Potter was attempting to stand up. Both of them tripped and landed hard on floor in a tangled mess, the latter cushioning the former's fall.

_Never would have imagined such scenario_, Elaine thought wryly, as they ended up sprawled out on the floor together. She was laying awkwardly over him with one elbow digging into his shoulder and other on his chest.

"Potter..." she muttered attempting to stand up, in the process crushing his ribs.

"Fainting Lady..." he blurted staring at her bemusedly.

Elaine closed her eyes in frustration hearing him say that _detestable moniker_. Suffice to say, she was definitely not impressed with her first encounter of Harry Potter, the future saviour of the wizarding world!

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P.s. Phew! Finally posted. Do comment ... (_Kreacher wringing his hand anxiously!_)

\- I tried to display the protagonist's messed up thoughts... She certainly doesn't like any kind of interference, especially of fate or destiny...

\- Harry was trying to avoid getting arrested as he thought he broke the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry and that they will snap his wand*

\- Walburga Black is alive and kicking...

\- Sue Lee is Elaine's best friend (their background story will be explained)

\- 'fainting lady' remark back story will be provided in the next chapter... as well as much needed background story of the characters. Will try to keep everything as 'canon' as possible but the addition of Si-Oc will cause certain ripples... Steady acquaintance with Harry Potter will grow in near future (of the plot)...

\- references of American sitcom 'Friends' which started around 1994 and novel 'the Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho used. The translated version of the novel in English was published around 1993.

\- Next chapter 'Something Wicked this Way comes' will be soon posted...


End file.
